10 Simple and Effective Tricks To Save Time in The Kitchen
No matter if you want to lose weight, gain muscle mass, enjoy food or just east healthier, you will need to spend some time in the kitchen. And while it can be fun at times, it is easy to become a slave to your own cooking habits. Spending hours on end preparing meals and constantly stressing about what the next meal should be. This can be very draining and really take away any motivation you had. So, what can you do about it? What if you we told you there are a few simple ways you can save time in the kitchen while still having delicious home-cooked meals? Here is how:
It is easy to become a slave to your own cooking habits
How To Save Time In The Kitchen
Is cooking taking too much of your free time? Is take-out too expensive and not fitting your dietary needs? All these things may discourage you from spending time in the kitchen. But don’t let them! You can easily find balance, you just need to know how. That’s why we are here to help. You can easily lose weight, gain muscle or just eat healthier without slaving away in the kitchen. All you need to do is follow these tips and tricks.
You can easily find balance, you just need to know how
#Plan Ahead
Meal-prep, meal-prep, meal-prep! The Holy Grail of saving time. Meal prepping offers a ton of benefits. It ensures you meet your dietary needs without spending hours in the kitchen. Choose one day of the week in which you are free and cook all your meals or the ones you can for the week. If this doesn’t seem like something you would do, then try to at least prep some of your products – cut up some produce, defrost the chicken or marinate the meat.
Meal-prep, meal-prep, meal-prep!
#Weekly Menu
Sit down one day, Saturday or Sunday for example, and research. Scour the internet for recipes or ask family and friends for recommendations. Go through your cook books. Find some recipes you would like to try out this week and plan what you need for them. This way you will have a weekly menu, you can get all the ingredients you’ll need, and you won’t have to think about what you are going to eat next.
Find some recipes you would like to try out this week and plan what you need for them
#Weekly Shopping
Shopping every day can be quite time-consuming. So, once you’ve figured out what you are going to eat for the week, make a detailed shopping list. Also make sure to check the fridge and pantries if you have any of the ingredients before going out. This will help save you money and will lower the chance of food spoiling. Grocery shopping should be done no more than once or twice a week.
Shopping every day can be quite time-consuming
#Good Containers
Investing in good, quality containers is a must. We suggest using glass containers as they are definitely built to last, and they are chemical free! You need plenty of containers, in different and similar sizes, in order to safely store leftovers and to have a good idea of portion control. You can meal-prep in them, store leftovers or use them for prepped ingredients. Either way, their airtight seal will keep everything nice and fresh, and they are easy to grab on the go.
Investing in good, quality containers is a must
#Have Leftovers
Leftovers can be a lifesaver. And even if you don’t enjoy eating leftovers, you can always re-invent them. Made chili? Why not make some chili dogs the next day? Have left over rotisserie chicken, throw it in a soup. There are plenty of things you can do with leftovers.
Leftovers can be a lifesaver
#Keep Track of Groceries
Make sure to keep track during the week of what you may need. For example, the ketchup is nearly finished, or you ran out of soy sauce. Things you might forget when writing down your shopping list, as they are out of your weekly menu. Keeping track during the whole week will ensure you get everything you need.
Here is an easy, organized grocery list template
@onplanners
#Clean As You Go
Cleaning up the kitchen after you’ve finished cooking is such a tiresome, time-consuming and annoying thing to do. That’s why we recommend cleaning up as you go. While it may seem like a chore in the beginning, once you pick up the habit, it will change your life. Any time you have a moment, such as when the soup is boiling, take the chance to wash some dishes, or wipe down the counter and so on. This will save you a lot of time in the long run.
When the soup is boiling, take the chance to wash some dishes
#Canned or Frozen
Embrace frozen and canned foods. They are your friends, not the enemies. While you may think that fresh is always best, frozen and canned foods are proven in some cases to be even more nutritious than the fresh produce you will buy. So, save yourself some time and use that frozen veggie mix for the soup.
Embrace frozen and canned foods
#Pre Wash Produce
This may seem too simple to be true, but it is one of the best time-saving kitchen hacks. Just rinse off and clean all your fresh produce before storing it. This includes fruits, veggies, and even herbs. While you may think this won’t save you a lot of time, it will. After all every minute counts. And if you are making produce-heavy dinners, you don’t want to be sat just washing them for half an hour.
You can even involve the kids!
#Keep Basics In Stock
It’s a good idea to always have a good amount of basic ingredients in stock. Some staples such as flour, herbs, spices, sugar, oils, broths, butter, onions, garlic and so on. Your basics very much depend on what you enjoy cooking and how often you use them.
It’s a good idea to always have a good amount of basic ingredients in stock
These were are tips and tricks on how to save time in the kitchen. We hope you found this article useful. Now you can enjoy way more free time and not be a slave to your own cooking.
These were are tips and tricks on how to save time in the kitchen
Sources:
- Edna ©
- Bristol Farms ©
- Foodal ©
- Organise My House ©
- Cook Smarts ©
